And The String of Fate Sways
by Eternal Nightingale
Summary: A String of Fate connect us. Watch as it loops and twirls in different directions, showing us our different lives and our different choices, but still connecting us either way.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: And The String of Fate Sways**

**Pairing: IchiRuki**

**Rating: Eh, T+**

**Summary: A String of Fate connect us. Watch as it loops and twirls in different directions, showing us our different lives and our different choices, but still connecting us either way.**

**A/N: Yes, I'm not too entirely proud of myself for adding another story to my list when I have like three unfinished ones...but I couldn't resist! Below is a project of sorts I've been working on and off for the past few months while trying to fight off a bad case of writer's block I got recently. **

**End result is a 100 themes challenge completed for the Bleach pairing of IchiRuki :D Yes, I did actually finish the 100 themes for this pairing, and as such I'll be releasing them all in four total chapters (25 themes for each chapter) every week until it's done! **

**Since my ideas for each theme went in all sort of different directions, I'll break it down for you the basic background for each theme. **

**-Some themes follow the manga-verse until a certain chapter, in which time I break off from canon and create different events. An example being: (Spoiler alert) Ichigo not losing his powers to Aizen in the final battle, and instead something else happens.  
>-Other themes go far into the future of what Rukia's and Ichigo's lives would be after the manga ends. Again, this is my own interpretation of how events go and don't follow canon.<br>-This is an IchiRuki based fanfic, but some of the themes show the aspect and strength of this pairing through other characters' point of view. I thought it'd be nice to see how I could incorporate other Bleach characters into the IchiRuki pairing :D  
>-Further into the themes, there'll also be some that will make little sense to those who aren't inside my head D: I'll break it down here as best as I can so readers can still enjoy them. There's been an AU story of sorts that's been boiling in my head for some time now over how to really make Rukia the main heroine for a bit! It involves breaking off after the final battle with Aizen (Spoiler alert) and Ichigo regaining his powers through different methods, Rukia's subsequent classification as a traitor for reasons I can't really say, and a huge plot starting from there. Since that's still in rough draft mode though, I decided to at least incorporate some into the themes I wrote for this fanfic. <strong>

**I believe that explains it all for now! I'll re-post my explanation above for those who might forget whenever I upload a new chapter. For now, I hope everyone enjoys these IchiRuki themes and I'll see you all next week for the next twenty-five themes on the list!**

**Disclaimer: Canon!Bleach belongs to Kubo, Fanworld!Bleach is ours xD **

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><p><strong>01 Introduction<strong>

He watches her sleep soundly next to him, and as he plays with the strand of hair over her face he thinks he doesn't regret their meeting…not at all.

**02 Complicated**

He can hear their hushed protests, 'This isn't allowed. You can't be serious for your feelings over this boy Rukia. You're making a grave mistake.' Combing through his orange locks in agitation, Ichigo wonders why this got so complicated.

**03 Making History**

Rukia feels a swell of pride as Soul Society cheers the young orange-haired man for his victory over Aizen, and only feels it grow more when he throws a smirk in her direction.

**04 Rivalry**

Renji raises a brow and lets out a tired sigh at the words of his drinking buddies. They've always told him he and Ichigo had a rivalry since they met…but what rivalry is there when Ichigo has what he's never been able to get…Rukia's heart.

**05 Unbreakable**

Ichigo holds his breath; the sweat and blood trickle down his cheek and towards his chin. Then he sees it, a small white hand grabbing for the white hilt of a zanpakuto. He feels the life return to him…she's still alive.

**06 Obsession**

She's been missing for over a year now, but the way her hair flowed with the wind, the way her eyes sparkled with wisdom beyond his years…her smile, it's all still well engraved into his mind…and he's not giving up until she's back, by his side.

**07 Eternity**

They'd named her a traitor to Soul Society, siding herself with the boy that 'betrayed' them all. She let a cynical smile form, if it meant being with him, Rukia didn't mind being called a traitor for the rest of eternity.

**08 Gateway**

Her indigo eyes stared dully at the gate before her. If she thought too hard about it she knew she'd break. Her fists tightened as she took a step forward…away from this world…away from him.

**09 Death**

Rukia once made a crude joke about him being in love with death itself. He only let a meager excuse of a smirk appear on his face, if she was death personified, then death is beautiful.

**10 Opportunities**

Ichigo feels his body shake with growing anger, but he hides it behind a reassuring smile as she speaks to him excitedly. She was going to be a vice-captain, an opportunity of a lifetime…an opportunity far from him.

**11 33%**

Rukia watches with mild amusement as Ichigo goes into another one of his petty little arguments with Renji, and as she plays with the bracelet Ichigo gave her she sighs. 'Yep, I'm definitely only 33% sure I might be in love with this buffoon.'

**12 Dead Wrong**

She feels his spiritual pressure before she actually sees him, and as she finds herself in his arms, and staring into intense amber eyes that scream 'Mine', he whispers huskily into her ear. "You're not leaving…not again…ever."

**13 Running away**

He thought it was just a rumor, but when he arrived to the sixth squad headquarters and found his captain shredding part of a wall with Senbonzakura, Renji sighed. "You've gotta be kidding me…they actually eloped?

**14 Judgment**

He didn't like this boy. Whether he was the hero of Soul Society or not, but as he watched his sister's smiles grow, and her laughs become less awkward, he figured he'd hold back his judgment…for now.

**15 Seeking Solace**

He'd never allowed her to be near him when he was like this, but as she watched him crumble to the floor, tears hitting the floor beneath him, she reacted. She embraced him, and hoped he didn't see her tears as well.

**16 Excuses**

She'd been putting this off far enough, and it was starting to piss him off. Ichigo cornered her against his bedroom door and pointed to his bed. "Get in bed now! You're not gonna be prancing around with shorts that tiny without expecting me to react Rukia!"

**17 Vengeance**

She remembered him telling her something about paperwork, but as he reacted wonderfully to her teasing kisses and bites she smirked. 'This is for last week you moron.'

**18 Love**

Years into their relationship, both Ichigo and Rukia realize that there had been love between them since the beginning…she just didn't want to see it, and he didn't want to hear it.

**19 Tears**

She carefully touches the scorched black fabric lying on the ground. Her hand twitches involuntarily and her eyes dull over. She couldn't detect his presence…not a trace…and she's too stunned to realize the tears streaming down her face.

**20 My Inspiration**

He feels like his legs are about to give out on him, Tensa Zangetsu can barely keep him in place as he uses it to balance himself. He spits out blood and thinks resting is a pretty good idea, and then he sees her graceful dance as the world turns cold around him, and he finds himself running back into the battle with greater vigor.

**21 Never Again**

She can feel his eyes piercing her, right into her soul, and she turns away. She was stronger than this, he would not be her weakness; she would protect him without fail. Even if he ardently disagreed, for she had lost him once…she won't go through that again…never again.

**22 Online**

He felt a blush rise up his face at the image in front of him. His fingers twitched as he kept staring and he clenched his teeth in anger. "Mizuiro you bastard who the hell told you to put this picture of Rukia and me on the school's website?"

**23 Failure**

Byakuya feels something cold and heavy fall on his shoulders at the Commander General's orders. His eyes fall on the tiny form of his sister, her indigo eyes dulling over. "Find Ichigo Kurosaki and execute him on the spot…" He silently prays to Hisana to forgive him and his failure to protect her sister.

**24 Rebirth**

They had told her there was a chance Ichigo's spirit could not be reincarnated into another soul, the battle with Aizen had completely destroyed his body. Rukia felt the air leave her lungs as she spotted a small head of orange hair in the rukongai districts, and a set of amber eyes lighting up in recognition as he spotted her. "Rukia!"

**25 Breaking Away**

Rukia knew he'd get pissed at her for what she was going to do, but seeing him battered and bruised angered her to the core. She smirked as he recognized her intentions. "Don't worry idiot, let's break away from tradition for once and let me protect you again."

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><p><strong>Thank you for sticking through to the end, and not reacting violently...I hope hehehe.<br>If these themes caught your attention and you enjoyed the IchiRuki please don't hesitate to drop off a review to let me know how I did! Since these were worked on in the span of several months the consistency isn't always there.  
>Any questions, please feel free to ask! As usual reviews are appreciated and hopefully received!<br>End. **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Themes 26-50 posted.  
>Theme explanations below.<br>**

**-Some themes follow the manga-verse until a certain chapter, in which time I break off from canon and create different events. An example being: (Spoiler alert) Ichigo not losing his powers to Aizen in the final battle, and instead something else happens.**

**-Other themes go far into the future of what Rukia's and Ichigo's lives would be after the manga ends. Again, this is my own interpretation of how events go and don't follow canon.**

**-This is an IchiRuki based fanfic, but some of the themes show the aspect and strength of this pairing through other characters' point of view. I thought it'd be nice to see how I could incorporate other Bleach characters into the IchiRuki pairing :D**

**-Further into the themes, there'll also be some that will make little sense to those who aren't inside my head D: I'll break it down here as best as I can so readers can still enjoy them. There's been an AU story of sorts that's been boiling in my head for some time now over how to really make Rukia the main heroine for a bit! It involves breaking off after the final battle with Aizen (Spoiler alert) and Ichigo regaining his powers through different methods, Rukia's subsequent classification as a traitor for reasons I can't really say, and a huge plot starting from there. Since that's still in rough draft mode though, I decided to at least incorporate some into the themes I wrote for this fanfic. **

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><p><strong>26 Forever and a Day<strong>

He looks down and feels contentment warm his body as he sees Rukia sleeping peacefully against his chest, one of her hands idly lying on her swollen belly. He sighs and thinks this peace should last forever. Yea…forever sounds good.

**27 Lost and Found**

One year, four months, two weeks, and six days since he's last seen her. He takes in her altered appearance, her hair past her shoulders, bangs still as messy, her curves a little bit more defined, and he smiles tiredly at her surprised expression. "Found ya Rukia."

**28 Light**

"What is the reason that you can protect Ichigo?" Zangetsu had once asked him, and the old man altered his question when he saw Ichigo was clueless. "Ichigo…who is the reason that you can protect?" Years later, as he watches Rukia stare quite hard at a sudoku puzzle she can't solve he finds himself smirking. 'So she's my ray of light huh? The reason I can protect…go figure." And he laughs.

**29 Dark**

She had always had a small curiosity over something she could never bring herself to ask Ichigo. Why was it that the hollow trying to take over his body never seemed to attack her when he managed to gain control…and why did he always have a knowing smirk on his face when he taunted her?

**30 Faith**

Rukia had honored his wishes all those years ago when he asked her to let him fight Grand Fisher alone. Now as he watched her fight a madman after her soul, for reasons she hasn't told him yet, he clenched his fists and held himself back. He needed to have faith in her, that's all he could do.

**31 Colors**

"Why are we wearing this again Rukia?" She huffs and gives him a smirk. "Obviously because I look pretty in white and violet and you look sexy in black and orange!" He groans in embarrassment and feels his face heat up.

**32 Exploration**

His first time with her…was interesting to keep it on the clean side. He was nervous but took his time, her body was beautiful and breath-taking and by the end of the night he had explored and memorized every inch of her.

**33 Seeing Red**

This crazed lunatic had crossed him for the last time. He convinced Rukia to leave him behind, made her betray Soul Society because he knew she'd never turn her back on a friend, and broke her when he killed that friend anyway. Now as that madman left a hole where her heart should be, Ichigo tightened his hold on Tensa Zangetsu and hoped that hollow of his was ready to make blood spill…lots and lots of blood.

**34 Shades of Gray**

She was still recovering her eyesight after the final battle, and as she lay on her bed seeing the world rather dully in light and dark grays, she spotted Ichigo entering her room. She smiled sadly and laughed. "Never thought I'd miss seeing your orange hair Ichigo." He could only nod, a tired expression on his face.

**35 Forgotten**

She was bleeding profusely from somewhere. Her body was turning cold and the noise around her was dying down. She was slipping, she could feel it, and as she spotted him running towards her, tears running down his face, she wondered if he would ever forget her…she smiled.

**36 Dreamer**

She thinks he has a good smile, and though she's rarely seen it, she also thinks smiling suits him more than his scowling. "What? You've been staring at me for the past three minutes Rukia…what's the deal?" "Just day-dreaming." She laughs.

**37 Mist**

He coughs up whatever's been clogging his throat and searches over the scorched battlefield. He spots Inoue healing Renji and Ishida, ignoring the cut on her arm. He can barely make out the shadow of his father and Urahara helping Ukitake to his feet. The mist doesn't dissipate as quickly as he likes, but his scowl turns to a look of relief when he sees Rukia's shadowy figure standing up. "Rukia…"

**38 Burning**

Rukia knew he didn't like her decision. Going on alone to rescue her friend without him or the rest of her allies. She clenches her fists and states that her decision is final. She refuses to look at him, if his eyes made contact…that burning sensation called guilt would eat her alive.

**39 Out of Time**

The young woman's magenta eyes study Ichigo closely. The wind from the desolate area they find themselves in plays with her pink hair, but her gaze stays firm. She can feel Rukia-chan's spiritual pressure falling; she closes her eyes in resignation. " I'll break the barrier for you Ichigo-sama…but hurry…you have no time left."

**40 Knowing How**

"Is this really such a good idea?" Yuzu whispered out to her father who was currently giggling hysterically at his 'master' plan. "Of course my precious Yuzu! Do not underestimate your father's genius when it comes to getting my message across! Knowing how to tell my son I want grandchildren is my specialty!" A few seconds later, Isshin was hit square in the face by his huge poster via his son, who held an angered blush on his face.

**41 Fork in the Road**

Sode no Shirayuki studies Rukia as she looks over the two snow-covered roads before her. The white-haired woman smiles sympathetically, and speaks over the sound of the rapid snowfall. "You must decide Rukia-sama, which one will lead you back to him?"

**42 Start**

Ichigo looks at her from the corner of his eye, and feels something heavy finally leave his chest. His fingers tentatively touch hers, and when she doesn't pull away, he intertwines them with his.

**43 Nature's Fury**

He always held a respect for Rukia's zanpakuto; beautiful and deadly just like its wielder. Now as he watched her, the sword glowing brightly and snow and ice whipping around violently, he knew just what could happen if you pissed off Rukia. He involuntarily gulped.

**44 At Peace**

She'd always wondered why Kaien-dono had such a goofy expression on his face when he was laying on Miyako-dono's lap whenever the squad had its weekly get-together. Now as she studied the orange-haired brat taking a nap on her lap she felt the realization hit her: he felt at peace.

**45 Heart Song**

Ichigo bangs his head harder against the desk as Rukia raises the volume on the radio and proceeds to dance on top of his bed. "Damn it Rukia! That corny pop version of the song 'Heart' is getting on my nerves turn it off already!"

**46 Reflection**

She could only watch as her inner world crumbled before her, snow flurries turning into massive blizzards, and evergreens being toppled over. The landscape was being destroyed and all she could do was watch. She stood by the frozen lake, staring at her reflection. He was gone and she no longer found enough will to keep going. "What do you see Rukia-sama?" She could hear her zanpakuto whispering. "Nothing."

**47 Perfection**

He was staring at her way too intensely. She felt her cheeks burning as his amber gaze seemed to memorize every detail of her bruised and dirtied face. His hand played with a strand of her mud-covered hair. His lips hovered over hers as he closed the distance between them and whispered, "Perfect."

**48 Everyday Magic**

Curious and wide indigo eyes stared at the lion plush with wonder, and the little boy scratched his orange hair in confusion. "Daddy…I still don't get it…how did you make Kon-san talk?" Ichigo laughed at his son's whiny voice and patted his head. "A magician never reveals his tricks squirt!"

**49 Umbrella**

Byakuya eyed his sister as she sat on the stone steps that lead to the gardens of the main house. The rain was falling gently but she still managed to get completely soaked. He made his way to her still form and placed an umbrella over her head. "You should cover yourself from the rain Rukia." She smiled eerily at him and kept looking forward. "It wouldn't stop the rain." And Byakuya cursed Kurosaki for leaving this world, and her.

**50 Party**

Rukia smiles on as she sees her friends run around and act like total idiots as they swallow drink after drink of sake. She wonders if she should tell them all to stop, but a celebratory party for the winter war victory seemed a good enough reason for them to act the way they were. "Though the hero who should be the one enjoying this the most already passed out." She chuckles as Ichigo snores quietly on her lap.

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><p><strong>End.<strong>


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